Lawn Care According to Intermountain Lawns
This information is provided to you courtesy of Intermountain Lawns. The steps
outlined will provide you with a green healthy lawn in the Southern Colorado Area if
followed.
This is the most economical (in terms of both labor and dollars invested)
lawn care program. Years of careful trial and error practices have gone into development
of this program and most lawn companies follow a similar program because it works here
in Southern Colorado. You will have one of the greenest and healthiest lawns in your
neighborhood and your neighbors will be green with envy. If any steps to this program
are not economical to you and /or are missed you may only have an average or above
average lawn and that’s ok too. We service and guarantee all steps in this program
EXCEPT, we do not normally perform any weed control services. Sometimes per special
request we will but because weeds are so unpredictable we can only guarantee how we
apply services but not a weed free lawn.
Timeframe
Activity
Mid – August
Kill all the weeds and undesirable grass in your yard. We
recommend Ortho Weed B Gone or similar liquid weed killer.
Apply per directions on the package with a hose end sprayer. This
may make your lawn ugly, just be prepared and tell your neighbors
you’re just getting started.
Early Sept/Oct
Water at minimum twice weekly in preparation for seeding and
aeration. You need to soften up the ground to properly aerate.
Early Sept/Oct
Fall aeration. When the weather cools from the summer heat we
will aerate your lawn. Going over it twice will benefit more
(although an extra charge may apply). Talk to your neighbors and
see if they want to aerate as well. It will save us multiple trips to
the same area and we will discount the cost of your aeration.
Early Sept/Oct
Immediately following aeration, apply seed. We recommend
Scotts Brand - Kentucky Blue Grass. It’s the most common grass
for Colorado. With the seed, apply a starter fertilizer to aid in
germination of the little seedlings.
Following Seed
Water daily and often to keep the seed moist to help it germinate.
Mow as required at the top mower setting minus one notch, about
3-4 inches high.
Late Sept/Oct
Apply a single application of a winterizing fertilizer. This is a
relatively low Nitrogen fertilizer and will provide good doses of
the other nutrients as well. Fall is the best time to feed your lawn.
It builds strong roots and helps protect your lawn for winter. You’ll
have a healthier lawn come Spring. Continue to water. Once your
seed is established cut watering to three times a week. A slow
soaking is best.
Late Oct/Early Nov Continue to water and mow frequently (no more than 1” removed
per cutting) until the grass turns dormant following the first long
hard freeze. The later in the year, the lower the grass should be
cut. This prevents the grass from lying over and the top of the
grass from dying off and creating thatch conditions during the
winter. It also allows the leaves to blow away out of your yard.
Remember, when cutting, either mulch the grass or leave the
clippings on the yard. Although many people like us to bag the
grass and we can do that too. Either way, do not allow a thick mat
of freshly cut grass to sit on top of the yard. Following this
program, will help prevent winter thatch. The key is frequent,
proper cutting and appropriate timing of fertilizer.
Mid February
Apply granular crabgrass preventer. Use a generic brand, lower
nitrogen from Lowe’s or Home Depot. Use the manufacturer’s
recommended application rate. It’s worth it because you won’t get
crabgrass next August and you won’t feel like you have to start
over again every year.
March/April
Spring aerate your lawn. Going over it twice will benefit more
(although an extra charge may apply). Colorado soil has a lot of
clay and compacts easily. Aerating twice a year is highly
recommended. Again, talk to your neighbors and see if they want
to aerate as well. It will save us multiple trips to the same area and
we will discount the cost of your aeration.
March/April
Immediately after aeration apply a Spring Fertilizer high in
nitrogen at the recommended dosage; this will give the grass a
deep green color. By this time, we should be preparing to cut the
grass once a week (cutting when 1” needs to be removed). It’s
worth the extra mowing effort because it keeps the lawn looking
nice and is better for the grass. Cutting 1” maximum lets the
clippings stay on the lawn and they will disappear naturally. We
don’t have to collect clippings or rake using this program.
Although many people like us to bag the grass and we can do that
too. In the Spring, we’ll reverse the order of our cutting height
from what we did in the fall. We’ll start at the lower setting and
gradually raise the cut height as the average temperature increases.
A good rule of thumb is raise one notch per 10 degrees of
increased daytime high temperature. By early to mid June we
should be at the top mower height, this provides adequate shade to
the roots during the hot summer. The lower height during the early
spring generates quick greening and healthy growth by warming
the root zone more quickly. We’ll cut at the top level until the
weather cools again in September.
May - July
Apply a single application of low nitrogen summer fertilizer
(maybe 10-10-10). Using 2 half applications over a two week
period for slower feeding, works great in May. Or 1 full
application in early July will carry you through the summer.
Early September
Assuming that you’ve killed any weeds during August, start the
program all over again.
Intermediate Items – About every other year, apply Lime to neutralize the effect of
repeated fertilizer applications. Aerate often, and thorough to keep
the soil as soft as possible. Try not apply weed and feed products
(they confuse the plants). Spot spray for weeds throughout the
growing season (it takes about 15 minutes once a month). Only
apply broadcast weed killers when you have a significant area
needing treatment. If you run into grubs or other insect problems,
apply treatments per the manufacturer’s recommendations in late
May and mid July (this coincides with the life cycle pattern of the
grubs). With this program, you shouldn’t run into fungus, but if
you do, treat with a fungicide per the manufacturer’s
recommendations. Water in the early part of the day. Do not
water at night. Less frequent, more thorough deep soaking
watering is best for the long term health of your lawn. Use a
broadcast spreader for all applications of products to your lawn
(you get more even coverage).